The Love of the Dragon
by Miss Clairely
Summary: As he cares for one of Akito's victims, he learns the she may be able to help heal his pain as well. contains Akito spoilers HatorixOC
1. Pierced Heart

**Summary: After saving her life, Hatori begins to fall for a young girl named Aimi. Akito is furious and will do anything to get Hatori's attention off Aimi.(contains Akito spoilers)**

**DISCLAIMER: Much as I hate to admit it, I DUN OWN FRUITS BASKET. But Aimi is my own creation, so HAH. XD**

**Chapter 1:**

He hated family get-togethers. The happy atmosphere reminded him of her. Watching people dancing and laughing reminded him that he was alone. He would have given anything to have been able to let Kana keep her memories. Hatori sighed and began walking towards the door to his house. What on earth had made him agree to hosting this picnic in his garden? He remembered Shigure's puppy dog eyes and had to smile. That man could get anyone to do anything for him.

When Hatori had asked what the occasion of this picnic was, Shigure had said it was high time the Sohma's had a party, so the big family could get better 'aquainted'. Hatori knew the dog was just trying to get his mind off Kana. But he didn't want to forget her. Not yet.

Just as he reached the door, a flash of color ran in front of him and steered him away.

"Ah-ah-aah! No sneaking away from the party! You haven't danced with anyone yet!" Ayame Sohma said with a grin.

"And I don't plan on it. Do you know how many memories I'd have to erase if I accidentaly transformed?" Hatori sighed.

"Ha-san, you worry too much! Just look at Shigure, he's dancing! Stop being such a worry-wart!" Ayame directed Hatori's attention to where Shigure was dancing with a pretty girl in still in her teens. She looked familiar..

Hatori shook his head. "What an idiot."

But the more he watched the couple dancing, the more he felt alone. Shigure's dance partner was pretty. She had long brown hair and was wearing a beautiful smile.

The music changed to Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog". Both Ayame and Hatori snickered at how fitting that song was to Shigure.

After the music ended, Shigure and his dance partner went off in opposite directions, and Hatori got a better look at the girl. She had big brown eyes and light skin. She was wearing a long white skirt that swirled around her legs as she walked, and a ruffly aqua top that tied around her neck. Perfectly dressed for the warm summertime weather. He realized why she looked familiar - he had treated her the week before when she had been sick with food poisoning. Her name was Aimi Sohma. Aimi was rather shy, but very, very sweet. She had thanked him over and over for taking care of her that day..

"Isn't she cute?" Shigure said elbowing Hatori. The doctor had been so lost in thought that he hadn't noticed that Shigure had joined them. "She's only ninteen! Her name is-"

"Aimi." Hatori finished. Shigure gave Hatori a horrified look. "I treated her last week when she was sick." The dog continued to stare. "I didn't _do_ anything to her. I'm not like _you._" Hatori rolled his eyes and turned back to look at Aimi. She smiled at him and waved. He nodded to her, and all her friends giggled. Shigure pouted.

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"He's so _handsome_!"

"I can't believe it! He definitley likes you!"

Aimi sighed. "You guys, I told you, I was only being polite. He took really good care of me last week."

"I bet he did." Yuffie, Aimi's best friend, said, winking.

"YUFFIE!" Aimi said blushing.

"But really," Tatsuki, Aimi's other friend began "Those older Sohma men have been all over you tonight! You're so lucky.." She looked wistfully in Shigure's direction.

Aimi was blushing scarlet and desperate to get away. She had told the truth, she and Hatori _hadn't_ done anything together, he was her doctor for Heaven's sake! But that didn't make the teasing any eaiser to bear. "I uh..have to go to the restroom. I'll be back." She said, disappearing into the crowd before her friends could stop her.

As she made her way through the party, she noticed how beautiful Hatori's house was. She hadn't really noticed the first time she'd been there. The garden was weed-less and full of roses and cherry blossoms, and there was a fountain in the middle of it, filled with brightly colored fish.

She went through the garden gates and was about to turn the corner when she heard a strained cry coming from behind her. Aimi whipped her head around and saw a small figure in a pink yukata leaning out of a circular window. The persons face was hidden by its black hair, but Aimi assumed it was a man because the hair was short. She ran to the window and rested her hand on the figure's back.

"Sumimasen, are you alright?" She asked frantically.

The figure looked up at her with its piercing black eyes and said nothing. Aimi was beginning to get nervous. "Are you sick? I-I'll go get Hatori-san! He'll know what to do." She turned to run but made a yelp when she felt whoever it was wrap their freezing hands around her wrist.

"The last thing you're going to do is get Hatori, my dear." The person growled, giving Aimi a look of utmost hatred that made her blood run cold. But what scared her the most was the jagged looking knife the figure held in its other hand.

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Hatori was finally beginning to enjoy himself. He'd sat quietly and listened to Ayame and Shigure talk about women and become lost in his own thoughts. He hoped Akito had calmed down by now. She had been in a rage that morning when he'd declared her too sick to go to to the party.

_"I want to see Shigure-san!"_

_"You can barley walk-"_

_"Damn you! You can't keep me from my own family! Every one of you owes me their life!"_

_"Akito! You are too sick!"_

_A glass vase crashed into the wall behind him._

_"I know what this is about. You want to see that pathetic girl you brought home with you last week. You didn't think I knew, did you?"_

_"She was a patient, I was just-"_

_"Don't lie to me."_

_"I'm not."_

_Akito smacked him across the face, and he was briefly reminded of the day she'd hurt his eye. The day when Kana was there.._

_She made another move to hit him but he caught her by the wrist and forced her to the ground. Akito's eyes were wide with shock at how he had manhandled her._

_Hatori left without another word._

The Dragon was jerked from his thoughts for the second time that day when he heard a piercing scream echo through the entire Sohma estate. The music died down, and fearful whispers traveled among the guests. Hatori was on his feet in a second and tried to figure out where the scream had originated from. Once outside the garden gates, he heard a quiet sobbing sound coming from behind him. He broke into a sprint towards the figure in the white skirt that was slumped against the wall of a house. Aimi.

He slid to the ground and turned her over. There was a deep cut right above her heart that was gushing blood all down her front. He ripped off the bottom of his shirt and pressed it over the gash. Hatori noticed that several people from the party had followed him, including Shigure, Yuki, and Kyo.

Hatori rounded on Kyo. "Kyo! Go find a wet cloth!." The boy just stared. "Kyo, _NOW_." The red-haired boy broke off into a sprint.

The doctor finally took in his surroundings and was surprised to find that he was outside the window of Akito's room. Yuki seemed to read his thoughts and stepped over the two of them, peering inside. "Akito isn't in here." Yuki said, shivering.

_Damn her_, thought Hatori.

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**A/N Sooooo, what'd you think? Akito's just a little jealous of Aimi..eep! Please review and I'll continue. **


	2. Just to Dream of You

**DISCLAIMER: Much as I hate to admit it, I DUN OWN FRUITS BASKET. But Aimi is my own creation, so HAH. XD**

**Chapter 2:**

Kyo came sprinting back with a wet washcloth. Hatori seized it and used it to apply pressure to the wound, while the cat crouched down, panting.

"Take her to the clinic." Shigure offered.

"The clinic's closed, remember? Because of this ridiculous little get together." Kyo spat.

Aimi was so pale she looked almost dead. Yuffie and Tatsuki had finally caught up with the group and were staring at Aimi with silent tears rolling down their cheeks. "Shigure, get Aya and find Akito before she can hurt anyone else. I'm taking her to the emergency room." Hatori declared, lifting the half-conscious girl into his arms and standing up.

Shigure frowned, "Why do we need Aya-"

"Because she has a knife." Hatori said flatly. Shigure didn't argue and sprinted back towards the party. Hatori started to walk in the direction of his car and motioned for Kyo to follow. He handed Aimi to Kyo, "Sit in the back seat with her and make sure you keep applying pressure to her wound. Tell me if she starts getting worse." He said, though quite frankly, he couldn't see _how_ she could get any worse. Hatori helped Kyo get into the backseat and then buckled his own seatbelt. He put the keys in the ignition and sped off in the direction of the nearest hospital.

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Hours later, after he had driven Kyo back home, Hatori stood pacing the waiting room. Relief washed over his face when a doctor finally came out to see him.

"How is she?" Hatori asked quietly.

"We stopped the bleeding and gave her some pain medication. She'll be out in a few minutes, she's getting her stitches right now. It'll heal, but there's gonna be a pretty nasty scar..what happened to her, anyway?" the Doctor said, looking suspiciously at the dragon.

"She uh, fell on a knife. In the kitchen. She was cooking." Hatori said off the top of his head. The doctor studied Hatori for a moment before speaking.

"You look familiar...Dr. Sohma, right? I've heard great things about you..I'm Dr. Motomori." He shook Hatori's hand, "I'm placing Aimi in your care. She lives alone, but she needs someone to care for her. I trust you are up to the challenge?" Hatori nodded. "Be sure to change her twice daily and call us if profuse bleeding occurs." Dr. Motomori turned and left the room without another word.

Hatori let out sigh of relief and sat down in a chair, soaking in the silence of the room. He nearly jumped out of his chair when his cell phone rang. It was Shigure.

"We found her." Shigure began without waiting for any confirmation that Hatori had picked up. Hatori let out another relieved sigh.

"Were is she?"

"We found her out by your fountain after everybody had run out. She uh...killed a couple of your fish, sorry." Shigure snorted on the other line. Hatori rolled his eyes.

"Shigure, where is she now? Is she okay?" Hatori was starting to get nervous again.

"Oh, she's fine. We managed to get her locked in her room, but we couldn't manage much more than that. She nearly gutted Aya. She's in her room breaking things right now. Expensive things." Shigure said in a pouty sort of voice, "How's Aimi?"

"She'll live. They're stitching her up right now." Hatori almost smiled, "You'll have your little girlfriend back soon enough."

"Oh, good." There was a particularly loud crash on the other line. "Ha-san, I have to go. I think Akito just broke a mirror." And he hung up. Hatori smiled to himself. Shigure always found a way to make the most stressful times just a little less awful.

At that moment, the recovery room door swung open and a black-haired nurse wheeled Aimi out into the waiting room. Hatori immediately stood. "Why is she in a wheelchair..?"

The nurse cocked an eyebrow. "She lost a lot of blood, sir. I don't think she's up to walking at present. She should be up and about in a day or two..just make sure she gets plenty of rest."

Hatori nodded silently. Aimi still looked deathly pale, and only vaguely aware of her surroundings. _But at least she's not spouting blood anymore,_ the doctor thought to himself.

After checking her out of the hospital, Hatori helped Aimi to the car, which was a difficult task, considering she was only half awake and he was trying to hold onto an armful of prescriptions at the same time. Once Aimi was situated in the passenger seat, Hatori drove out of the parking lot. Aimi fell asleep on the drive home.

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Hatori laid the sleeping girl on his couch while he pondered where she would stay for the night. He didn't have a guest room, and she would definitely be there a few days...the wound wouldn't have been that bad if it weren't for the fact that it was right over her heart. The dragon sighed as he headed up the stairs to get the spare sleeping mat out of the attic. After much tugging, the thin mattress was free from the clutter of his attic, and in a few minutes he had it in the middle of his living room floor, complete with blankets and a pillow. He transferred Aimi to the bed and covered her up. She moaned in pain and scrunched her eyes tightly shut. Seeing her like that tore at the dragon's heartstrings.

"It's okay, go to sleep Aimi." Hatori whispered, patting her forehead and smoothing her hair across the pillow. Her expression softened and she relaxed. _She's out like a light,_ Hatori thought. Then again, she'd been stabbed, stitched and drugged all in the space of about four hours. And she's seen Shigure dance. That was enough to put anyone out of commission for a few days. He smiled to himself.

The more he looked at her sleeping form, the more he was reminded of Kana. Aimi looked just like her..but with slightly longer hair. Her eyes were different too, but that didn't matter. There was just something about her..the dragon blinked back the tears that had formed in his eyes, and went into the kitchen, shutting the doors behind him.

Hatori decided to see exactly what drugs Dr. Motomori had prescribed for Aimi, taking them out of the bag one by one. Some painkillers, iron for her blood (or lack there of), ointment for the wound, and a small supply of bandages and medical tape. He put it all back in the bag, and walked over to the answering machine, and pressed the flashing button. It was Ayame.

_CRASH._

"Ha-san! I uh..we've got it all under control here...(_boom_)..Ah, never mind. Shigure wants to talk to you."

"I can't talk long..just wanted to let you know that Tohru offered to take care of Aimi tomorrow while you make your rounds. You leave at about noon, right? She'll be over then. I'm sure her (_smash_) home cooking will do Aimi lots of good. (_crash_). I've got to go, I don't think Akito plans on sleeping tonight. Sayonara!" The dog hung up the phone with a _click._

Just the sound of Akito's name made Hatori frown in anger. He wasn't looking forward to dealing with her tomorrow. The doctor sighed and went up the stairs to the bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror. No wonder he'd gotten some suspicious looks from the people in the hospital. He was covered in blood and his shirt was ripped at the bottom. He disrobed and stepped into the shower, letting the warm water soothe his aching muscles. Waiting room chairs were not the most comfortable things to sit in for hours at a time. Hatori dried his hair and changed into his nightshirt. Before getting into bed, he made sure his door was open, so he could hear if Aimi needed anything in the night. At long last, the dragon laid down on his mattress and closed his tired eyes, letting sleep and dreams of Kana consume him.

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**A/N: Poor tired Hatori. Hehe.. I don't really have much to say..I hope you enjoyed this chapter. yawns I think I need to rest _my_ tired eyes. Don't forget to review!**

**-Claire**


	3. No Time for a Jealous Lover

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket, y'all. Darn it. Aimi ish mine though.**

**Chapter Three: No Time for a Jealous Lover**

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Aimi woke with a start, and immediately screamed in pain. It felt like her chest was on fire. She moaned and tried sitting up slowly, as not to put any pressure on the arm closest to her wound. _'Wound?'_ she thought to herself, _'now where did I get that?'_ She looked around the familiar space, wondering how she'd ended up in Hatori's living room.

Suddenly, Tohru came bustling in, carrying a tray of riceballs and medicine. Upon seeing Aimi, she squeaked and sat down the tray.

"You shouldn't be sitting up! Here, lay back on your pillows!" she said, firmly pushing Aimi back on the mattress. "I brought you your medicine and some breakfast . . . is the pain bad?"

Aimi nodded, wincing. She took the pills from Tohru and downed them quickly, hoping they would rid her of her pain. It felt like she was being pricked by needles every time she took a breath. She studied Tohru. Aimi didn't know her very well, but had talked to her a few times. She was a very sweet girl, always worrying about others. "Tohru-kun, what happened to me?" she asked, taking a shaky breath.

Tohru paled. "You were stabbed by Akito-san last night at the party. Hatori-san found you and drove you to the hospital, and brought you back here. He's going to take care of you for a while, but I'm here to watch over you while he's on his rounds." She sighed, "The wound was very deep . . . you're lucky to be alive." Aimi nodded, remembering everything up until she'd blacked out. "Here, I brought you some clothes. I'll help you change out of those and then maybe I can get the stains out of your pretty outfit. And then maybe a bath. You've got a lot of blood on you."

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Hatori stood outside of Akito's room, trying to collect himself before he went in. He didn't want to display any weakness to her, he knew she'd use it to hurt him. The doctor has always feared Akito a bit, after she'd hurt his eye. But that fear had increased tenfold after he'd seen what she was capable of. After what she'd done to Aimi. He took a deep breath and slid open the door.

The room was dark, but he could see the outline of his patient, sitting silently in the middle of the room, which looked like it had been hit by a tornado. Broken pottery and shards of the mirror were all over the room, dirt from a flower pot was spilled onto the floor, the flower petals shredded and strewn about the place. The sheets had been ripped from the mattress and had blood splattered across them. This sent Hatori into action. He ran to the figure in the middle of the room, grabbing her by the shoulders and checking her person for wounds.

"What did you do to yourself?" He demanded.

Akito laughed softly, "It's not _my_ blood, you fool."

Hatori sighed in relief and let go of her, turning his attention to his bag, and taking out the thermometer. Akito stared up at him with an amused look in her eyes, as if the last night's events had been nothing but a game. The thermometer beeped. "101.7 degrees." He read aloud. Definitely not a good sign. Neither of them spoke as he took her blood pressure and tested her reflexes. Her blood pressure was down, and she had dark circles under her eyes. He heaved a great sigh. "Akito . . . you haven't got a lot of time left. A few months maybe a year . . . " He trailed off, lost in thought. The news didn't seem to have any effect on Akito whatsoever, it was as if she'd already known. Hatori took the stethoscope out of his bag, put it on, and placed it on Akito's bare back as she slid the robe off her shoulder. "Breathe in."

"I bet you want to know why I did it."

"Breathe _in_."

"I know you're just dying to find out. You want to know what goes on in my head."

The dragon let out an exasperated sigh and looked his patient in the eyes. "Why did you hurt Aimi? You could have killed her."

Akito grinned. "Because you care about her, and you're mine."

He moved the stethoscope to her stomach. "I belong to _no one_."

She seized his hand and pushed it lower, to her inner thigh. "I beg to differ."

Hatori pulled back his hand in disgust, staring at Akito in shock. "You'll have to keep on begging, then."

"Get out." She whispered, grinning.

The doctor left with no protest.

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Shigure walked into the room, marveling at the fact that is was spotless. After what he'd heard from outside the room the night before, he was expecting a disaster area. The maids must have come in after Hatori had finished his checkup. The dog spied Akito leaning against the wall, observing him with a mischievous look in her eyes that made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. He kneeled and looked down at the floor as she crossed the room and came to stand in front of him.

"Why did you do that to her? She's just a teenager." He asked, dreading Akito's reaction.

"You forget that we are the same age."

_'Yes, but you have no heart.'_ "Are you jealous? Are you jealous because he cares for her? Am I not good enough for you?" He whispered as his blood began to boil.

Akito made a small, content sound as she caressed the side of his face with her soft fingers. The dog closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. She quickly withdrew her hand and brought it hard across his face. He yelped and tasted blood in his mouth.

"Speak to me again in that manner, and you won't have a tongue left to disrespect me with." She hissed, staring down at him with angry eyes. "Now, I have something I need you to do for me."

"Yes, my love?" He spat sarcastically. Akito opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it again and shook her head.

"Later." She whispered, the glint in her eyes back again.

Without another word, she grabbed him roughly by the collar and placed her lips hungrily upon his, forcing his mouth open with her tongue and caressing the back of his neck with her hands. Taken aback by this pleasant surprise, Shigure grinned boyishly into the kiss, gently pushing his lover backwards onto the ground. As they continued to kiss, Akito roughly pushed him over until she sat on top of him. Shigure's hands roamed over her small frame until they found the ties of her robes and began to fumble with them, breaking the kiss. Soon, her clothes were in a heap on the other side of the room, and Akito sat bare before him.

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**A/N: cackles Bwahaha, Akito is evil and I love her for it. Review please!**

**-Claire**


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